Explore the Mass Humanities funded projects awarded from 2000 to the present. Browse by grant type, city, region or keyword. Subscribe and receive news when grants are awarded. Interact with a state map of grants awarded!
Project eLEVate
Support for a summer youth program as part of the Biannual Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival, focused on African-American identity in the Berkshires as well as the history and question of civil rights.
Williamstown, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Don Q. Kelley
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Touching Home in China: in search of missing girlhoods
Support for a social media campaign to launch a multimedia electronic book depicting the history of China's One-Child Policy and the experiences of two adopted Chinese-American girls who visited their place of birth.
Melrose, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Melissa Ludtke
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Digging Northampton's History - A Community Archaeology Project
An archaeological dig at the 1719 Parsons House, to which area third and fourth grade students and the public will be invited.
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Linda Ziegenbein
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Sharing Our Stories: Sharing Our Lives
Memoir writing workshops for 75 adult basic education students in five western Massachusetts classrooms.
Greenfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Judith Roberts
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $9,750
Mill Girls of Lowell Photovoice Project
Support for programs for girls 10 and older learning about the famous Lowell Mill Girls through history lessons, site visits, and walking-and-photography tours.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Jennifer Demers
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Farm Values: Civic Agriculture at the Crossroads
Support for the development of an educational and informational program focusing on the economic and civic history of local agriculture by telling the stories of 6 farms in 6 towns in the region served by the Trust.
Athol, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Jamie Pottern
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
Massachusetts Native Peoples and the Social Contract: A Reassessment for Our Times
A convention of Native groups in Boston, Worcester, Cape Cod Islands, South Coast, and Amherst in roundtable discussions envisioning a new social contract between the Commonwealth and its Native peoples.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Cedric Woods
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $10,000
A Conversation with a Living Legend
A conversation between jazz legend Archie Shepp and students from Science and Technology of Springfield and Holyoke High Schools on how social and political current events impact the direction of contemporary music.
Holyoke, MA, Hampden County (CT Valley)
project director: Stephen Burrell
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $5,000
Understanding Early 20th Century Medical Care in Hatfield
Examination and interpretation of Hatfield Historical Museum's medical collection from the early 1900s, focusing on Dr. Charles A. Byrne.
Hatfield, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Kathie Gow
awarded on: 2015-03-20
amount: $3,000
Good Guy With a Gun: The Arming of America's Teachers
Development of a trailer and a written treatment for a documentary about the security measure in American public schools of arming teachers.
Marlboro, VT, Windham County
project director: Kate Way
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000
Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare's Shipwreck
Preproduction of "Stephano: The True Story of Shakespeare's Shipwreck," a film project that will trace the life of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins as part of the Center's "Hit and Run History" series.
Dennis Port, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Andrew G. Buckley
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000
Creative Spaces: The Preservation, Interpretation, and Future of New England's Historic Literary Sites
A one-day conference for staff members of New England's literary house museums, entitled Creative Spaces: The Preservation, Interpretation, and Future of Historic Literary Sites.
Amherst, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Cindy Dickinson
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $4,695
Community Bonds: Life Inside Immigration Detention in Massachusetts
Documentation of the stories of detained immigrants in six short audio/video pieces and to present those in four moderated community film-and-discussion programs.
(project website)
San Francisco, CA, San Francisco County
project director: Christina Mansfield
awarded on: 2014-12-20
amount: $10,000
We Are One: Mapping the Road from Revolution to Independence
An exhibition timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of Boston's resistance to the British Stamp Act of 1765, as well as a summer teachers' institute for teachers in the Boston Public School district.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Michelle LeBlanc
awarded on: 2014-12-12
amount: $9,700
The Great War Theatre Company: Messengers of a Bitter Truth
Performances of the play, "The Great War Theatre Company: Messengers of Bitter Truth," at Boston area high schools.
Newton, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Susan Werbe
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $3,500
The Mr. g Project
Community humanities programming to complement the play, "Mr g," for underserved youth and young and working adults, including faith-based communities of color.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Debra Wise
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $10,000
The Health of Democracy
A series of six public conversations, entitled The Health of Democracy, that examine the proper role of government in promoting the general welfare of its citizens as well as shaping and overseeing the nation's social contract.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Patricia Suhrcke
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $5,000
Young Portuguese Immigrants in Turn of the Century Lowell
Development and implementation of an exhibit with programming focusing on Portuguese immigration to Lowell, beginning in the early twentieth century.
Lowell, MA, Middlesex County (Northeast)
project director: Frank Sousa
awarded on: 2014-12-10
amount: $5,000
Shaking Two Nickels Together: A Literary Perspective on Impoverishment and Income Inequality
Reading and discussion group centered around the theme of income inequality.
Barnstable, MA, Barnstable County (Cape & Islands)
project director: Antonia Stephens
awarded on: 2014-12-02
amount: $1,000
Women at Work: An Oral History of Working Class Women in Fall River, MA 1910-1940
Documentation of the oral histories of the working-class life of women and/or their descendants during the 1910-1940 period.
Fall River, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Joyce B. Rodrigues
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
Sanford Tavern Archaeology Field Training Program
A summer school for budding archaeologists from underserved area high schools.
Hawley, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: John F. Sears
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $4,334
James Baldwin Transmedia Project
A series of six events combining film, live performances, and conversations with community leaders and humanities scholars on Baldwin's life, work, and message of equality.
New York, NY, New York County
project director: Karen Thorsen
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $24,990
Work + House Research and Exhibit Grant
Research, design, and installation of Work + House, an exhibit focused on workers' housing in the city's industrial past that began with the paper and textile mills.
Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County (Berkshire)
project director: Megan Whilden
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
Appalachian Mountain Club Historical Photograph Digitization Project
Scanning and inventory 1,000 photographic prints of New Englanders enjoying the outdoors between 1930-1950.
Charlestown, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Rebecca Fullerton
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
The Golden Door
Performances of a new musical play on the immigration history of Boston and honoraria for a humanities scholar and panelists for post-performance talk back in three communities.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Kay Dunlap
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $3,970
Religion Refocused
A partnership with upwards of ten faith-based groups of diverse traditions uniting to host five film-and-discussion events on civics and religion.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Elinor Pierce
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $10,000
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" in a new adaptation.
Production of two performances of an adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" with performances at Springfield Historical Museum and including an educational outreach component to include Springfield youth participants and play development workshops in Greenfield.
Deerfield, MA, Franklin County (CT Valley)
project director: Linda McInerney
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
Multi-Sensory Interpretation at Gore Place
Finalization of improvements to their accessibility measures for sight-impaired visitors, including experiential interpretation, and for a workshop sharing best practices learned from this project.
Waltham, MA, Middlesex County (Metrowest Boston)
project director: Thom Roach
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $5,000
The A.R.T of Human Rights
An extensive collaborative program exploring art and human rights, to be held as interactive seminars, theatrical productions and public conversations at the Loeb Drama Center and participating schools and organizations.
Cambridge, MA, Middlesex County (Greater Boston)
project director: Timothy P. McCarthy
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $10,000
Worcester Revolution 1774
A county-wide reenactment of the events of September, 1774, when the local British government was overthrown by weaponless militiamen.
Worcester, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Bill D. Wallace
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $10,000
Sojourner Truth's Florence
Transportation of 75 Commonwealth Academy students to Sojourner Truth's Florence abolition and slavery walking tour, which will also be overhauled with streamlined, age-appropriate educational materials and online resources.
Florence, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Terrence O'Toole
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $9,248
Family Reading Program
A reading and discussion series for fathers and their five-to-nine year olds based on our Family Adventures in Reading program.
Foxborough, MA, Norfolk County (Southeast)
project director: Karen Harris
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $3,160
Gardner's Colony for the Insane: A Story to Tell
Inventory of negatives and photographs taken at Gardener's Colony for the Insane during the 1950s and 1960s and reproduce them in print for researchers and online for the public.
Westminster, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Elizabeth Hannula
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
Proctor Comb and Button Manufacturing Inventory
Inventory of 12 boxes of artifacts and records from the Proctor Comb and Button Manufacturing Company, a significant industry in the town from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s.
Northborough, MA, Worcester County (Central)
project director: Ellen Racine
awarded on: 2014-06-20
amount: $1,500
Listening to Change on Working Waterfront
Development of a thematic and comprehensive understanding of facilitated discussion with the fishing community recorded since 2004 on the Narrative Stage and preparation of the materials for archival storage and public access.
New Bedford, MA, Bristol County (Southeast)
project director: Laura Orleans
awarded on: 2014-03-31
amount: $3,000
Teachers Summer Institutes: Engaging New Audiences in Boston's Public Schools and Community Colleges
Two four-day summer institutes for 60 Boston-area teachers. The institutes are loosely organized around the theme of women in African American history.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: L'Merchie Frazier
awarded on: 2013-12-13
amount: $10,000
Boston Muslim Film Festival
Support for speakers, scholars, and publicity materials for the seventh annual Boston Muslim Film Festival.
Boston, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Edina Skaljic
awarded on: 2013-12-13
amount: $4,900
9 to 5 Project
Pre-production of a one hour television documentary on the untold story of women clerical workers organizing for pay equity, advancement, and recognition. The 9 to 5 Project addresses a significant aspect of feminist social movement history in the U.S. and raises important questions about labor history.
Yellow Springs, OH, Greene County
project director: Julia Reichert
awarded on: 2013-12-13
amount: $10,000
Engaging Student Audiences with Playbills
Creation of multi-lingual playbills for the company's Road to Tolerance cycle of five plays, to be presented to Boston Public School students.
Jamaica Plain, MA, Suffolk County (Greater Boston)
project director: Wendy Lement
awarded on: 2013-12-13
amount: $10,000
The Mildred Files
Production of a new, original play, The Mildred Files about a scandal involving the Academy's past interim director. The performance is part of the Academy's Women's Work Initiative, a multi-year series of events and productions focused on women in the performing arts.
Northampton, MA, Hampshire County (CT Valley)
project director: Debra J'Anthony
awarded on: 2013-12-13
amount: $5,000